I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to burial vaults, and, more particularly, to a composite burial vault comprising a plastic resinous liner with concrete mechanically bonded to at least one surface thereof.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Composite burial vaults, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,439,461 issued to Chandler et al on Apr. 22, 1969, are relatively new in the field. Such burial vaults typically comprise a plastic liner which is coated first with an adhesive and then filled with concrete. Such composite burial vaults have been found to be advantageous in that the concrete provides structural rigidity, while the plastic liner, if it is exterior of the concrete, provides a water resistant wall unlike the more porous cement.
In some arrangements, the liner is for appearance and protection and is disposed interiorly of the burial vault. In still other arrangements, a plastic inner and plastic outer liner are provided with the concrete poured therebetween.
Although these previously known composite burial vaults have been well accepted in the trade, they also have disadvantages of which it is the object of the present invention to eliminate.
The primary disadvantage with the prior art composite burial vaults is that an adhesive must be applied to the liner prior to pouring the concrete into the mold. When the wet concrete is poured against the tacky adhesive, the concrete flow tends to rub the adhesive off the liner. This, in turn, results in only a loose, and therefore undesirable, bond between the liner and the concrete.
My previous method for constructing a burial vault, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,581, overcame many of these problems by providing a method in which an aggregate material is applied against a liner constructed of a thermosetting material before the liner has dried or after a solvent is applied against it. The aggregate becomes partially embedded in the liner and forms a mechanical bonding surface for the concrete. As a practical matter, however, burial vault liners are oftentimes obtainable from the manufacturer only after the thermosetting material has hardened.